I Really Cannot Understand Lorde Sometimes

In case you have been living under a rock, New Zealand musician Lorde has made headlines in recent months by her song Royals going top 5 almost everywhere.

To be honest, I personally do not get the appeal of Lorde's music. It's just not my cup of tea, I guess. But I wouldn't say it's bad. Some of her comments are, in my opinion, a bit weird.

For example, she recently said that Taylor Swift was too unattainable. "Taylor Swift is so flawless, and so unattainable, and I don’t think it’s breeding anything good in young girls," she said. Later she apparently said it referred to Taylor's physical beauty and maybe her talent. However, the industry is full of impossibly beautiful people - why did she choose Taylor Swift, and only Taylor Swift to make the point? Plus the "it’s breeding anything good in young girls" part - what was that supposed to mean? I'm pretty sure Taylor Swift is more than good for the young girls who like her. I'm pretty sure if I had a younger sister I would prefer that she liked Taylor Swift than Lady Gaga, for example.

I found her comments on Selena Gomez's Come and Get It much more appropriate, however. "I’m a feminist, and the theme of her song is, ‘When you’re ready come and get it from me.’ I’m sick of women being portrayed this way," she said. Though I personally would not call myself a feminist, I really took issue with the theme of that song, and frankly I felt guilty even liking it a bit. So thank you for speaking up.

By TaraElla (News, Website) Discuss at the Forum!

Lady Gaga in the Louvre?

Apparently there is now Lady Gaga inspired art at the Louvre.

Seriously, I don't think anything related to Lady Gaga deserves to be there. I just don't think anything she does is good enough for the Louvre.

Sorry.

By TaraElla (News, Website) Discuss at the Forum!

Demi Lovato has Respect for Taylor Swift

The Hollywood shock value scene is getting more disgusting by the minute. It's in the performances, it's in the music videos, it's even in the lyrics of some songs. My 'boycott list' is growing larger by the year. Fortunately, there are still plenty of artists who would never do things like that.

Taylor Swift is perhaps one of the best examples of a genuine artist who doesn't get involved in the crazy side of Hollywood, and Demi Lovato wants to follow in her footsteps.

“She's like, 'Well, I don’t go out.' I don’t go out to clubs and I don’t party and to me, it says more when you don’t have to do things for shock value. You're more respected as an artist. And that’s what I want to be, I want to be respected as an artist and not a tabloid headline," Demi told Entertainment Weekly recently.

I think being real and having decency standards are a large part of Taylor Swift's popularity. In this regard, Demi Lovato is definitely on the right track. I am pleased to see that she will continue to follow this path faithfully into the future.

By TaraElla (News, Website) Discuss at the Forum!

Katy Perry vs Lady Gaga

Katy Perry and Lady Gaga are two of the most popular contemporary pop artists. The two each releasing new stuff this year has prompted comparisons yet again. Even Glee had an episode on this just recently.

Honesty, until recently, I have never thought of Katy Perry or Lady Gaga as opposites - to me, they both did outrageous things - Lady Gaga had the Poker Face video as well as quite a few other boundary pushing ones, and Katy Perry had songs like I Kissed a Girl (which by the way was disrespectful to the gay community in my opinion) and videos like California Gurls. Sure, Gaga was weirder than Katy, but I thought it was a small difference anyway.

Needless to say, I disliked both of them. To me, a better contrast would be with artists like Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, who would never do things like that.

Katy Perry has put out quite a good album this time round however, and my view of her appears to be changing. Maybe one day I will learn to truly like her. Lady Gaga, meanwhile, her stuff has gone downhill in my opinion. I don't think I will ever learn to like her.

So maybe Glee did have a point - Lady Gaga and Katy Perry may indeed be opposites in some ways.

By TaraElla (News, Website) Discuss at the Forum!

Why Portia Didn't Want to be a Lesbian

Portia de Rossi, wife of Ellen DeGeneres, recently revealed why she did not want to be a lesbian in the past.

"I just didn't want to be a lesbian. I'd never met one for a start and I just thought they were strange and that they hated men and they were very serious and I had these ridiculous images in my head and there were no out celebrities or politicians or anybody that I could look to and go, 'Oh, I could be like that'," she said.

I guess one just cannot choose to not be something one is by birth, right?

Anyway, I think it's important that more 'normal', 'next door' type gay and lesbian characters for young gay people to relate to. It's all good being unique and a bit strange, but most people are not like that, nor do they want to be like that, gay or straight.

By TaraElla (News, Website) Discuss at the Forum!

Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger Taking their Marriage Seriously

Recently married couple Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger appear to be taking their marriage quite seriously - more than what many couples would do anyway.

"We don't drink when we're apart... We don't want to go anywhere that you're asking for trouble," Chad recently told the media.

They reportedly have an alcohol and club ban when apart.

"It sucks! But when you've got something special, you can't be careless with it," Avril said.

A very good idea, I think.

It has also been reported that they are not rushing to start a family yet - they are still finding time for it, it seems.
They're both still young, and I don't think they need to rush either. Take your time!

By TaraElla (News, Website) Discuss at the Forum!

Even Katy Perry has Some Limits

The recent proliferation of gross and controversial music videos from multiple female entertainers has provoked an increasingly hot conversation about whether things are going too far.

"I think there's a difference between pushing the envelope sexually and pushing the envelope creatively," Bette Midler recently told Katie Couric.

It appears that even Katy Perry, whose California Gurls video in 2010 made some of us really uncomfortable, wants less of what we are seeing out there too.

"I'm not talking about anyone in particular. I'm talking about all of them. I mean, it's like everybody's so naked. It's like, 'Put it away. We know you've got it. I got it, too'," she said.

I think we can safely conclude that things have gotten too far in 'pushing the envelope sexually' recently, and a return to more family friendly styles would be popular right now. Who is going to lead in that area? It would take someone brave to fill that role, I think.

By TaraElla (News, Website) Discuss at the Forum!

The Old Taylor Swift vs the New One: They Are Both Good

It's certainly not the first time I have been talking about what I have been calling the 'old Taylor Swift' (before her album Red) and the 'new Taylor Swift'. I have also made no secret that musically I certainly prefer the old version. I do know of some friends who prefer to the new version though.

The 'New Taylor Swift' also has an inconsistent and weird fashion sense, in my personal view. But I guess that should be irrelevant to how we view a person, isn't it?

But actually, in many ways, the new Taylor Swift is just as good as the old one. In fact, that's because they are actually one and the same. Taylor may have changed her musical style and her fashion style, but she is clearly the same person. She is still herself, and not some other character. This is much more than can be said for many other people in the industry. And that's what's important.

By TaraElla (News, Website) Discuss at the Forum!

Glee and Inclusive Family Values

As an outspoken advocate for what I call 'Inclusive Family Values', it is perhaps unsurprising that I do view almost everything through those lenses first and foremost. In fact, some of my friends think it's admirable, whilst others think that it's an outdated way of seeing things. I don't care, as I for one have never subscribed to the 'fashion of the day' personally, as evidenced by my music tastes, which are largely 90s styled.

Glee has been both praised and condemned by various self styled family values advocates. So what do I think of those comments? Well, firstly, those based on homophobic viewpoints will receive no attention from me, as what I support are 'Inclusive Family Values' not 'Fundamentalist Religious Family Values', and there's a big difference there.

Homophobic arguments against Glee aside, the Parents Television Council classifies Glee in the category of shows which "may include gratuitous sex, explicit dialogue, violent content, or obscene language, and is unsuitable for children," and further recommended that it is not suitable for people under 16. Their advisory further states that there is plenty of profanity in the show, where words like "bastard," "bitch," “hell,” and “damn” are used. These are clearly not just referring to the gay themes in the show. To this list, I would add the behaviour of the adults in their relationships in the show, some of which in my opinion borderline on cheating, something clearly not acceptable to be morally.

However, the way I see it is that Glee just reflects reality, and is set in a cultural background where family values simply isn't as strong. It really doesn't go out of its way to promote immoral behaviour, in my view, but simply reflects that it does exist in the big bad world out there. It is therefore my belief that parental guidance is required for younger people, but otherwise it's really not as bad as what the PTC says it is.

There is always two sides to one coin though, so after having looked at the negatives I think it's time to explore the positives. Glee sends a great message to LGBT young people and their families. Just by doing this it is doing our society a great service. Furthermore, it often showcases LGBT people and their relationships in the greater scheme of family relationships. Its storylines reflect an important process currently happening in our society, and I believe one of the most important processes in this history of humankind: traditional family values and LGBT inclusiveness embracing each other. The positives clearly outweigh the negatives in the case of Glee, from what I see.

In conclusion, I believe that Glee is a great thing for Inclusive Family Values overall, and should be embraced by us who share these values. If I were the director I would set the whole show in a more family friendly culture and remove some of the questionable behaviour of some of its characters, but that's just a small negative compared to the important social value it is giving our society.


By TaraElla (News, Website) Discuss at the Forum!

Schwarzenegger for President? I Wouldn't Support Him, but Let Him Run!

With President Obama having to step down in 2017, there is again lots of talk about who should be the next US president. Hilary Clinton is an often mentioned name.

There have also recently been reports that Arnold Schwarzenegger may run - but of course only if the constitution is changed to allow him to do so. You see, Schwarzenegger was not born in the US, and that currently disqualifies him.

I personally wouldn't support Schwarzenegger, or most other Republicans for that matter, but I think he should have a right to run. Why shouldn't he?

By TaraElla (News, Website) Discuss at the Forum!